Half the Fun

                                           

This, “The Bus of Hope”, mission is truly one of love and blind faith. We get many responses to our Instagram and FB posts. It is interesting to talk to people and hear their reactions to what we are doing. I think there is a definite difference between how we try to communicate about it, how others visualize it and the reality of it all.

I laid in bed, not sleeping again, thinking about next steps, things to do, places to go, etc… not worrying per se, but thinking. It dawned on me that there are at least 3 visuals of what this journey must look like to others, to us and, finally, the reality of all the imagined realities combined together to make a chaotic but successful mission.

The number one response is how cool it is. People often visualize the whole vagabond image, free from worldly constrain and able to go anywhere and do as we please.

Our version, our daily focus, what we mostly see, is God’s plan of guiding us to love others and do for others in a way that matters most to Him. We see being blessed with this home on wheels and the ability to continue to serve as He has called us to do, on a shoe string budget.

Then there is the realistic version. The reality of it all is a healthy combination of all of those visuals and then some. We are on a freedom journey to the ends of the earth with few restrictions… we are on a Spiritual journey to serve God and His blessed communities… and we are on a constant reality check of what it takes to accomplish this as non-retirement aged adults who left home, family, secular jobs and the luxury of the world to pursue a lonely path that many do not comprehend.

Our blessings are many. We get to see so many places and park in remote areas along the way. We meet so many people and hear so many stories of triumph and defeat. Just today we met two very beautiful and unique individuals that just touched our hearts in such a way that we wish to keep in touch with them forever. Jenn and her daughter Patience are such loving souls with such passion for life and others. The staff and students that we bond with on our mission become a part of our lives and hearts as well. But then, there are always the departures….

The beauty of this world is not lost on us. The glory of God’s gift to man, the intricacies of the world and how it functions so well to sustain all life (until man interferes of course) simply amazes me. The roar of the ocean against the banks of the shore is the most awesome wonder of this world, to me. Thunder, lightning and rain are second only to the ocean. The rain hitting the roof of The Bus of Hope sounds like music to my ears. Half the fun of this journey is truly the path to getting there.

But it isn’t all roses. We actually have real life struggles.

We are not retirement age. I draw a half retirement from my time with the state. By itself, it does not sustain our expenses. Therefore, the largest issue is financial. We have been in limbo and living on our savings in order to get the bus and car ready for another mission trip. We have to balance our volunteer hours with some income hours to build our savings and allow us to continue.  This is challenging as we must find jobs that understand we are there temporarily (until God calls us to stay). We have expenses for the bus, car, food, insurance, healthcare, ministry dues, tithes and unforeseen expenses that arise. We actually had to stop supporting a few very dear Christian causes within Teen Challenge because of a lack of funds.

Insurance was next to impossible. They do not want to hear that you live in a bus conversion RV full time. I won’t even go into that. It took 6 months to find insurance.

Healthcare is impossible. They do not have traveling healthcare. Healthcare.gov is costly and the insurance is stationary. In other words, you must have an address in an area where you will forever seek care. You cannot see doctors outside of your area, unless it is an emergency. If you have ongoing health issues, like skin cancer, you have to find a way to be checked every 6 months… or sooner if you find problems like I do. Other sites are financially prohibitive for us.

We have to be mindful of the solar, batteries, water tanks, propane level, energy consumption, compost mixture for the compost toilet, water use, internet use and other practical living changes that we have made to live in a converted bus. We use about an average of 15 gallons of water a day for dishes, coffee, drinking and showers. That is some thorough but quick showering, let me tell you! We do this whether we are boon-docking or plugged in so that we are not a burden on anyone. I have learned to dry shave from a cup of water on a towel on the floor.

The physical requirement of building this bus from start to finish… which has not been completely done yet, is a brutal daunting task two year task of getting this bus to where it is. Many of the steps to get it to this point have been long and grueling procedures that are hard on the skeletally challenged and those who are our age. My husband has major bone issues: dysplasia, arthritis, bad shoulders and a bad back… not once has he let it stop him from spending an entire day and night working to complete whatever task laid before him. I warn him that he can take a break and let his body rest, and I tell him how badly he will suffer and hurt and move… but to no avail. There is a mission at stake and he will not let his health stop him. He says that he will worry about the pain later. He fights through it until the job is done. I cannot stress enough that he has not learned his limitations and it is causing him to suffer needlessly.

There is the sadness of being separated from our Spiritual leaders and communities that we love so dearly. We become deeply bonded to those who touch our lives. We value their insights, we share in their lives, we want for the community it brings. It is so hard to leave a place where you have loved and served for Christ. Keep  in mind, our feelings run deep because we crave that closeness of community, being out in the world alone most of the time. However, it is difficult for ministries to return the sentiments for many very good reasons. While we are one couple; they see many volunteers come and go. It is next to impossible to form bonds and maintain relationships with everyone they meet. I feel the love and anguish of being a disciple and traveling to spread the word, trying hard to maintain relations from a distance and falling short of feeling relationship.  

The separation from family and friends is easier to bare because family and friends will always stay in touch. With today’s social media, it is easy. But there are births, illness and other familial responsibilities that we are forced to miss because of our commitment in service to our Lord and our mission. This is what God meant by leaving it all behind to follow Him. But we sometimes ache to see and hold our kids, grandkids and great grandkids. The saving grace in this is that my husband and I truly enjoy our lives together and in this, we prevail. It is easy for us to talk and find things to entertain each other and find fun ways to recreate. We are blessed in our relationship and this makes fun.

Another aspect is the Spiritual disconnect. Staying plugged in to any ministry is impossible in this traveling realm. We are always traveling so we find a new church every place that we go. We are able to watch online, but that is not quite the same. Overtime, we crave the Spiritual milk that comes from being a part of a Christian community with worship music, praise and God led sermons. I love to speak but I also love to listen. My soul cries out for spiritual growth and companionship.

But….despite it all, this is the path of obedience and service to the One who brought us life and saved our family in more ways than I wish to recall here. I mean real life miracles from lives of torment and regret brought to life and reborn into people that we were meant to be in a life that we are rebuilding to be what God had planned type stuff.

So, this journey is one that we cannot stop until He plants us somewhere. It is what He asked us to do. It doesn’t matter how we define it. It doesn’t matter how it goes, what we miss, how we sacrifice or how much it costs, really. We don’t got this. HE’s got this. Therefore, we go… like the energizer bunny… we just keep on going.